Comorbidities Between Specific Learning Disorders and Psychopathology in Elementary School Children in Germany.

Linda Visser,Ruth Görgen,Janosch Linkersdörfer,Gerd Schulte-Körne,Josefine Rothe,Marcus Hasselhorn,Julia Kalmar

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00292

Abstract

Children with reading and/or spelling disorders have increased rates of behavioral and emotional problems and combinations of these. Some studies also find increased rates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, anxiety disorder, and depression. However, the comorbidities of, e.g., arithmetic disorders with ADHD, anxiety disorder, and depression have been addressed only rarely. The current study explored the probability of children with specific learning disorders (SLD) in reading, spelling, and/or arithmetic to also have anxiety disorder, depression, ADHD, and/or conduct disorder. The sample consisted of 3,014 German children from grades 3 and 4 (mean age 9;9 years) who completed tests assessing reading, spelling as well as arithmetic achievement and intelligence via a web-based application. Psychopathology was assessed using questionnaires filled in by the parents. In children with a SLD we found high rates of anxiety disorder (21%), depression (28%), ADHD (28%), and conduct disorder (22%). Children with SLD in multiple learning domains had a higher risk for psychopathology and had a broader spectrum of psychopathology than children with an isolated SLD. The results highlight the importance of screening for and diagnosing psychiatric comorbidities in children with SLD.

Highlights

Children with specific learning disorders (SLD) do exhibit difficulties in reading, spelling, and/or arithmetic
We explore the occurrence of anxiety disorder, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and conduct disorder in children with an SLD in reading, spelling, arithmetic, or a combination of these
To get a first impression of how academic performance was related to symptoms of psychopathology, we calculated correlations between the reading, writing, and arithmetic scores and the symptom scores for depression, anxiety disorder, ADHD, and conduct disorder

Summary

Introduction

Children with specific learning disorders (SLD) do exhibit difficulties in reading, spelling, and/or arithmetic. They often struggle with externalizing and internalizing problems such as attention deficits and hyperactivity, conduct problems, anxiety disorder, and depression [1]. There is some evidence for the increased risk of symptoms and the diagnosis of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children with reading and/or spelling disorder [2,3,4]. In a representative German sample of 2nd and 3rd graders, a comorbid ADHD diagnosis was found in 17.2% (isolated reading disorder), 20.3% (isolated spelling disorder), and 22.2% ADHD has the highest comorbidity rate with reading and spelling disorder compared to other mental disorders [8]

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